fRoots

[Kev Boyd]

Tonight's show marks the end of a short tour which you might be forgiven for thinking would be treated as an extended rehearsal for the coming festival season. Wood is having none of this: in his quiet, charming way he puts in a performance of intense power and not inconsiderable daring, peppering his set full of old favourites and recent classics with a number of re-worked or brand new songs - at least one of which getting it's genuine live debut tonight. Even with the most forgiving of audiences this is a tactic that can sometimes fail spectacularly, but Wood's natural warmth and friendly charm win over his northern audience from the moment of his first "Oroight then?" to the final, heartfelt "Goodnight".

He kicks off with You Must Unload, something of an oldie in the Wood canon but tonight apparently performed solo for the first time. Chris and his mates have a regular Thursday night appointment in their local Country & Western club where they'd performed this very song the night before and there's a definite hint of an the "Yee haws" in his delivery here.

The majority of material is drawn from the breakthrough Lark Descending and stunningly accomplished Tresspasser albums. We get the the first of many genuine 'goosebump' moments during The Cottager's Reply, followed by One In A Million, Summerfield Avenue, Come Down Jehovah, John Ball and a handful of remarkably accomplished traditional pieces. In particular, Cold, Haily, Windy Night, freed from the relative bombast of the Imagined Village arrangement, is revealed afresh as one of the great 'night visiting' songs of the English tradition. And during a brief fiddle interlude we get a lovely, understated (as far as that’s possible for a morris tune) Princess Royal and Sweet Jane which manages to bridge the gap between Appalachia and Mali.

The overriding impression after more than two hours of Wood's beautiful music is of a man steeped in the rich history of the English folk tradition but who finds the warmth and humanity of everyday modern life just as endearing - if occasionally irritating. Wood is a quite enchanting and genuinely warm performer whose deep-felt love of the music he performs seeps from every pore and consequently permeates the atmosphere in this small theatre, making this one of the most memorable live shows I can recall for some considerable time.

"Oroight then?" Yes, Chris. Definitely "Oroight".